How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser in Georgia

Becoming a real estate appraiser in Georgia starts with the State Trainee classification from the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board (GREAB): 90 hours of Board-approved qualifying education, a supervisory appraiser registered with the Board, and a $125 application supported by a criminal history report. Georgia follows the national appraiser path, but it requires more trainee coursework than the national minimum, adds a fifth entry classification (State Registered), delivers its exams through PSI at $175 per sitting, and renews every classification annually by birth month. This guide covers the Georgia figures and rules that the national path does not explain.

The national path in one paragraph

The parent guide, "How to Become a Real Estate Appraiser: Licensing Steps and Requirements," explains the sequence every state shares: qualifying education, supervised experience (or an approved PAREA program), the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, and a state application with a background check. Georgia runs that sequence through GREAB, the board that administers the Georgia Real Estate Appraiser Classification and Regulation Act at O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 39A (GREAB's Appraisal Act page^[1]). The sections below cover only what Georgia adds or does differently.

The classifications Georgia issues

Georgia issues five appraiser classifications, one more than the national framework: State Trainee, State Registered, State Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General (GREAB's obtaining-a-license page^[2]). Trainee and State Registered are the entry levels; Licensed and the two Certified levels require experience and a national exam.

A State Licensed appraiser may appraise, in federally related transactions, non-complex one-to-four unit residential properties with a transaction value under $1,000,000, complex one-to-four unit residential properties under $400,000, and any other real estate under $250,000, under the rule text GREAB reproduced in its September 25, 2024 notice of intent^[3]. Certified Residential covers one-to-four unit residential property without a value limit, and Certified General covers all real property.

The State Registered classification is Georgia's own addition. It carries the same entry requirements as State Trainee, but a State Registered appraiser may appraise any type of property outside federally related transactions, co-signing with a certified appraiser who assumes responsibility (Rule 539-1-.16(2)^[4]). A Registered appraiser does not need the Supervisor/Trainee course to obtain the classification, but must complete it before any supervised assignments count as experience toward a higher classification. Since January 1, 2015, experience credit is earned only under the trainee supervision requirements.

How to become a State Trainee in Georgia

You qualify as a State Trainee by being at least 18, holding a high school diploma or GED, being a Georgia resident (nonresidents qualify through O.C.G.A. 43-39A-9 compliance), and completing the required coursework within the 5 years before you apply (Rule 539-1-.16(1)^[4]). There is no state examination and no experience prerequisite at this level.

The application itself goes to GREAB with a $125 non-refundable registration fee by cashier's check or money order, a criminal history report from a law enforcement agency, and a notarized Lawful Presence Verification form (State Trainee application^[5]). Georgia residents attach a Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) report; nonresidents attach the equivalent from their state of residency. You must disclose any conviction, nolo contendere plea, or first offender sentence even if it does not appear on the report. Incomplete applications are returned unprocessed and carry a $25 charge.

The background check and prior convictions

GREAB requires the criminal history report at your expense, obtained no more than 60 days before applying, and may require an FBI (NCIC) report if your GCIC record shows another jurisdiction (Rule 539-1-.05(10)^[4]). Under the PSI candidate bulletin^[6], a single felony or crime of moral turpitude conviction bars application until 2 years after completion of the sentence, and multiple such convictions bar application until 5 years after completion. If you have a prior conviction or disciplinary action, Rule 539-1-.18 lets you request a non-binding preliminary decision from the Board before you pay for education and examination. Military spouses and transitioning service members qualify for expedited application processing under Rule 539-1-.05(14).

Finding and registering a supervisory appraiser

Your supervisory appraiser must be a Certified Residential or Certified General appraiser who has held Georgia certification for a minimum of 3 years, has been in good standing with no disciplinary action affecting eligibility for the previous 3 years, and has completed the AQB supervisory course before supervising (Rule 539-1-.16(1)(b)^[4]). One supervisor may not supervise more than 3 State Trainees at a time unless a progress-monitoring program has been adopted. The supervisor must personally inspect each appraised property with the trainee until the trainee is competent under USPAP's competency rule.

Two administrative steps make the hours count. The supervisor must register you in the GREAB Appraiser Tracking System, or you receive no experience credit for the work you perform (State Trainee application^[5]). And before any supervised work counts toward a higher classification, Rule 539-1-.16(9) requires a written agreement between you and the supervisor covering compensation, scope of work, and report delivery.

The 90 hours of qualifying education

Georgia requires 90 hours of Board-approved qualifying education to enter at the trainee level, above the national minimum for the trainee credential. The curriculum is fixed by the Board (GREAB's obtaining-a-license page^[2]):

• Basic Appraisal Principles (30 hours)
• Basic Appraisal Procedures (30 hours)
• 15-Hour National USPAP Course (15 hours)
• Residential Report Writing and Case Studies (15 hours)

The 15-Hour National USPAP Course covers the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), whose current 2024 edition took effect January 1, 2024 (The Appraisal Foundation's USPAP page^[7]). On top of the 90 hours, trainee applicants must complete an AQB-approved Supervisory/Trainee course, which does not count toward the 90.

All coursework must come from a school on GREAB's approved schools list^[8] (effective 10/21/2026), which covers qualifying courses, USPAP, continuing education, and supervision coursework in separate approval categories. Approved schools submit your completions to GREAB electronically. All 90 hours must be completed within the 5-year period before you submit your application (Rule 539-1-.16(1)^[4]).

Earning experience, or using PAREA

Georgia's experience requirements follow the national figures, with one contested wrinkle at the Licensed level. Under the current text of Rule 539-1-.16(3)(e)^[4] (rule text current through rules filed through January 28, 2026), a State Licensed applicant must document 1,000 hours of experience gained over a period of at least 12 months. GREAB's own obtaining-a-license page and the PSI candidate handbook still describe a 6-month minimum, but that figure predates the current rule text.

The higher levels are settled: Certified Residential requires 1,500 hours over at least 12 months, with at least 25% in complex one-to-four unit residential work, and Certified General requires 3,000 hours over at least 18 months, with at least half in non-residential work (GREAB's obtaining-a-license page^[2]). Per the PSI candidate bulletin^[6], experience counts only if earned while properly classified, performed in accordance with USPAP, and not before January 1, 1991.

PAREA in Georgia

Georgia added the PAREA option through a 2024 amendment to Rule 539-1-.16, and the current rule text carries the language at every classification level (Rule 539-1-.16^[4]). A completed program can replace supervised experience entirely for Licensed Residential and Certified Residential candidates, while smaller shares of the Certified General requirement can be satisfied that way.

Taking the Georgia appraiser exam through PSI

GREAB contracts with PSI Services to administer the State Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General examinations, at a fee of $175 per exam (PSI candidate bulletin^[6]). There is no state exam for the Trainee or State Registered classifications.

Your exam application goes to PSI with a notarized Affidavit of Experience, an Appraisal Experience Log, and a notarized Lawful Presence Verification form; a Background Clearance Application is required only if you have arrests, convictions, or disciplinary history. PSI administers the computer-based exams at Georgia test centers in Atlanta, Decatur, Duluth, Fayetteville, Lilburn, Macon, Marietta, and Savannah, with scheduling typically within 5 business days of contact. You may reschedule once per fee by contacting PSI at least 2 business days before the appointment; a missed appointment forfeits the fee. Duplicate score reports cost $25 within one year.

After passing, move quickly. Under Rule 539-1-.04(1)^[4], you must apply for your classification within 3 months of the exam date or pay double the original application fee, and if you wait more than 12 months you must retake the exam. Classifications are issued at the PSI test centers, except Certified General because of exam length. The activation fee at the test center is $135 if issuance falls after your birth month (this includes the $40 Appraisal Subcommittee registry fee) or $175 during or before your birth month (this includes the $80 registry fee).

Georgia appraiser fees at a glance

Georgia's fees split between GREAB, PSI, and the federal Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) registry (GREAB renewal page^[9]; Rule 539-1-.02^[4]):

Renewing your classification and continuing education

Georgia appraiser classifications renew every year by the last day of your birth month in the calendar year following the year you were first classified (GREAB renewal page^[9]). You can renew online up to 120 days before the due date; a mail-in renewal must be postmarked by the due date or the classification lapses and late fees apply.

The renewal fee is $140 by mail for Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General appraisers, which combines a $100 Board fee with the $40 ASC registry fee, and $100 for Trainee and Registered appraisers, who are exempt from the registry fee. Online renewals are discounted $25 from those totals. Rule 539-1-.02(1) sets the same birth-month clock for the activation fee you pay at the start.

Every active classification requires 14 hours of Board-approved continuing education during each one-year renewal period, an annual structure rather than the national 28-hours-per-24-months packaging (GREAB continuing education page^[10]). In every two consecutive renewal periods, you must complete an AQB-approved 7-hour USPAP Update course, and the 15-hour USPAP course does not substitute for it. No CE course may be repeated for credit within a renewal period, and the qualifying window runs from one year before your due date to the due date itself. Approved schools post your completions electronically to your GREAB record. If your CE is not posted by the deadline, GREAB recommends renewing to inactive status (no late fee) and later reactivating with an Appraiser Change Application at no fee. Nonresidents may instead satisfy Georgia's CE by meeting their home state's CE requirements and submitting a current classification or pocket card.

If your classification lapses

A lapse of less than 1 year is fixed online with a late fee: you are reinstated to active status only if it has been less than 30 days past due, the classification was previously active, and all CE is completed and posted (GREAB renewal page^[9]). Beyond 1 year, reinstatement requires the Appraiser Reinstatement Application, a late fee, and all CE completed. Under Rule 539-1-.08^[4], a lapse of 2 to 5 years requires 90 classroom hours including the current 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course, and a lapse beyond 5 years returns you to the original applicant path, education and exam included. A classification that lapsed solely for nonpayment of fees carries a $50 reinstatement charge plus the renewal fees otherwise due (Rule 539-1-.02(3)(d)).

Reciprocity and the temporary practice permit

Georgia grants classification by reciprocity to Licensed and Certified appraisers from all states, without an examination, provided you passed an exam in the other state and your classification is in good standing (GREAB's obtaining-a-license page^[2]). The fee is $135 if you apply after your birth month (including the $40 ASC registry fee) or $175 during or before it (including the $80 registry fee) (reciprocity application^[11]). You must be listed as Active on the ASC National Registry or attach a certified appraiser history issued within 1 year showing good standing and exam passage; a wall certificate or pocket card does not qualify. A criminal history report and a Lawful Presence Verification form are also required. Georgia offers no reciprocity at the trainee level, so out-of-state trainees apply as a Georgia State Trainee or State Registered appraiser.

The temporary practice permit covers appraisers who need Georgia for a single job. It is available only to appraisers Licensed or Certified in another state, for one specific federally related transaction on Georgia property, at a fee of $150 (temporary practice permit page^[12]). The permit is valid for 6 months from issuance with an automatic 6-month extension, and GREAB issues it within 5 business days of a completed application (temporary practice permit application^[13]).

Doing FHA appraisals in Georgia

FHA work requires more than a Georgia license: roster appraisers must hold a state Certified Residential or Certified General credential and appear on the ASC National Registry with an "AQB Compliant" status of Yes (HUD's FHA roster page^[14]). A Georgia State Licensed or trainee-level credential is not sufficient. You apply online through FHA Connection, and you must not be listed on SAM, HUD's LDP list, or CAIVRS.

What to do first in Georgia

Your first three moves are concrete. Pull up GREAB's approved schools list and enroll in the required coursework with a provider approved for qualifying education. Line up a supervisor who meets the certification and good-standing criteria, and make sure they will register you in the Appraiser Tracking System before your first assignment. When you are ready to file, order your criminal history report inside the 60-day window that precedes your application date, and download the State Trainee application from the GREAB forms page^[15]. From there, the path runs on the state's clock: log your hours, register for the PSI exam when your level allows, and keep every renewal deadline on your birth month.